Gratitude: <3
I want to make these entries all lofty and noble and virtuous, but today... well, today the thing I am grateful for is pretty much as basic as it gets. Today, I am grateful for my kitchen.
We've lived in a lot of places, and I've had a pretty wide range of kitchens. For a while, when roadtripping with the kids, I carried the most minimal kitchen possible, and actually got an impressive amount of cooking out of it. The last house in KC had the smallest kitchen sink I ever saw, maybe 14" wide? And the McGee house kitchen was so far away from the heart of the house.
This kitchen is why I rented this house. I walked in and I *knew* I would be cooking in there soon. It's small, but designed in an efficient and comfortable manner. There are a few more things I would like (chiefly, higher water pressure and quicker access to hot water), but there is everything I need. I love the smooth granite counter... so easy to clean! It has a gas stove, which is hard to find in a rental. We have figured out ways to compensate for our vast amount of cooking supplies and gear (helloooo, IKEA!), and the dining room table is right over the counter... I can fix mochas for visitors and keep on cookin' during our chat.
Our kitchen is full of fun toys, essential gear, music, a notable collection of cookbooks and food-related writings, thoughtful quotes, colorful art, a vast array of herbs and spices, beautiful bowls and vases, wine and spirits... a place of nourishment and creativity.
Sometimes I feel like a painter in my studio, carefully arranging the color, texture and flavor elements of a dish according to some ethereal muse... and other times, I feel like a mad scientist in my laBORatory, fooling around with bacteria and enzymes, proteins and acids, temperature and weights. But at its very best, my kitchen makes me feel like the ultimate mix of art and science... I dabble in alchemy and create magical new things where before there were only mundane ingredients. Of course, there is plenty of failure and humility to be found as well, but where there is risk, the delight of a success is even sweeter.
When my kitchen is clean and well-stocked, I feel on top of the world... the leader of the free world and his family could sashay in and I'd be able to whip them up something delicious in no time. Vegan? Gluten-free? No dairy? Voracious carnivore? No worries... I can handle it!
We've lived in a lot of places, and I've had a pretty wide range of kitchens. For a while, when roadtripping with the kids, I carried the most minimal kitchen possible, and actually got an impressive amount of cooking out of it. The last house in KC had the smallest kitchen sink I ever saw, maybe 14" wide? And the McGee house kitchen was so far away from the heart of the house.
This kitchen is why I rented this house. I walked in and I *knew* I would be cooking in there soon. It's small, but designed in an efficient and comfortable manner. There are a few more things I would like (chiefly, higher water pressure and quicker access to hot water), but there is everything I need. I love the smooth granite counter... so easy to clean! It has a gas stove, which is hard to find in a rental. We have figured out ways to compensate for our vast amount of cooking supplies and gear (helloooo, IKEA!), and the dining room table is right over the counter... I can fix mochas for visitors and keep on cookin' during our chat.
Our kitchen is full of fun toys, essential gear, music, a notable collection of cookbooks and food-related writings, thoughtful quotes, colorful art, a vast array of herbs and spices, beautiful bowls and vases, wine and spirits... a place of nourishment and creativity.
Sometimes I feel like a painter in my studio, carefully arranging the color, texture and flavor elements of a dish according to some ethereal muse... and other times, I feel like a mad scientist in my laBORatory, fooling around with bacteria and enzymes, proteins and acids, temperature and weights. But at its very best, my kitchen makes me feel like the ultimate mix of art and science... I dabble in alchemy and create magical new things where before there were only mundane ingredients. Of course, there is plenty of failure and humility to be found as well, but where there is risk, the delight of a success is even sweeter.
When my kitchen is clean and well-stocked, I feel on top of the world... the leader of the free world and his family could sashay in and I'd be able to whip them up something delicious in no time. Vegan? Gluten-free? No dairy? Voracious carnivore? No worries... I can handle it!